Penny-4-Eyes is a fun, self-affirming rock concert.
With a dynamite cast, it is like Hedwig and the Angry Inch for teenage
girls.

There isn’t really a plot to the show; Penny has recently
tried to kill herself. She brings her mother onstage to vent her frustrations
with her lifestyle -- constant boozing, sleeping with many different guys, etc.
It is a cry of anguish for both mother and daughter as they confront each other
with their frustrations via rock songs.

The rock songs were loud; hence the audience gets much-appreciated
earplugs at the start of the show. Although they were pretty generic rock and
started to sound similar by the end, they were mostly rhythmic and engaging.
The highlights were the emotional ballads “Leave It All Behind Me,” “I’m Still,”
and “My Ending,” which captured Penny’s inner turmoil and angst.

The cast made the show come alive. The star, Christiana
Anbri, was outstanding, vivacious, and entrancing. She also belted
feverishly, and it was near impossible not to be drawn in by her performance. She
was backed up amply by Vachelle Gil and Sasha Toro, and the three
danced up a storm. Lucia Giannetta as the mother and Lady Altovise
as the therapist were also fierce belters who got to strut their stuff in solo
numbers. The final performers were the five-person band (Jimi K. Bones, Ricky
Valente, Andy Galore, Andrew Shantz, and Aaron Brooks),
who sounded great and were completely together.

At times the show felt a little too moralistic -- actually
saying its theme and meaning instead of showing them. Additionally, the premise
got a little stale by the end of the show, especially given the lack of story
and character growth; much more could have been developed prying into the
psyche of this suffering teenager.

However, even if the audience’s ears were still ringing
hours after the performance, it was definitely a fun evening with an
incredible, engaging cast.